FINAL WHISTLE | Wrexham v Reading

final score rexam three reading n happy with consolidation are you really not after that that was a great performance let's put it into a bit of context as well um reading hard doing an incredible job they have terrible problems off the pitch ownership issues which hopefully will be resolved soon um in the meantime Ruben sales their manager hasn't been able to bring players in he's lost players and remarkably him and his very very youthful side have started the season exceptionally well they should have went up Burmingham first match of the Season comfortable BN against Wigan the next game and they came to the race course in very good form but they just couldn't resist Rex and the BBC reporter next to me who was covering ring summed it up beautifully I heard him in the final whistle just saying how it's a learning experience you know it's no disgrace to be beaten by a side playing like that with the quality that rexam have and that was exactly the case um rexam started off one change uh Seb replaced by Ryan Barnet the two of them have both put in a great performance each in the two League games so far Barnet got the nod and straight away he was involved and he was Lively but then straight away rexon were looking sharp and on the front foot Palmer got past his man and was about to hit a shot from 25 yards pulls his leg back and it's is it's taken from beneath him by Elliot the resing midfielder who really should have been booked for that although to be fair the referee was consistent in his allowing physical contacts that was very much to Rex's benefit I think people like Dobson and McLean flying in hard with a number of great tackles um and to be fair as well he should have bucked Palmer a couple of minutes later be when he grabbed the hold of the shirt of a Defender as he ran past him with no attempt to play the ball so guess he they up but anyway from the free kick Elliot Lee giving a taste to what's to come great strike from the free kick just skimming the the bar Reading had moments as well in the 14th minutes an excellent move um but it sort of Illustrated their problem as well in this match because they really did lack that killer touch the final ball wasn't there it was an excellent move to get them up the pitch uh aand was making his League debut uh looked terrific fed it inside to Elliot at the end of it he probably should have shot he was about 15 yards out with a bit of space around him and said he played one pass too many and the ball was poked partly clear Charlie Savage was able to get a shot in but Andy Cannon made an excellent block and there's another uh Elements which is a pattern throughout the game The Blocking by rexam in and around the box I mean the cono didn't have that much to do they were reading got shots off from the edge of the area but rexon players were closing them down and blocking them superbly and reading play the pr because they went behind another fantastic move by reom and they'd move it around even better uh in the latter stages of the game but in this one the first buildup was very good crossed by Barn it was just about headed Away by bendon as Palmer was attacking it but as Andy moral said in the commentary with me rexon would just Relentless at this point in the game we just wouldn't let reading have the ball back straight away winning the second balls and putting it straight back in there and on this occasion o Conor played a lovely little pass inside to find Le in Space Between the Lines he moved it on to Barnet Barnet put in another excellent delivery to the far poost and this time Palmer has got the leap on unway they have a center back and planted his head back the way it came inside the right post a lovely finish a great cross and Relentless pressure from rexon we really were flying at this point uh nearly got another 2 minutes later which would have been wow I mean the competition for Golden season's hot already but this one would have been the leader I think it was a long throw by Dorset into the rexon penalty area rexo managed to half clear it to the edge of the box it looked like it was Charlie Savage's Ball but then Marius came from nowhere just managed to get there ahead of him and nipped the ball away with his head chased it got to it and then set off on the run from the edge of his area to the edge of the reading area nobody could keep up with him he had no support so we lashed in a power ful shot which was swerving away from the keeper and was really moving at PACE and Pereira had to go to his left and pushed the ball around the post for a corner the second goal was coming and it came in the 33rd minute and again a goal of the Season Contender although the end of it was a bit Scrappy unfortunately it was a magnificent move up the pitch started off with seven first time passes in a row to get us out of trouble we were under press on the edge of our area got it back and we just zinged it around it was fantastic to watch and the reading players couldn't do a thing about it and all of a sudden we were free the ball was worked out by leer Barnet again on the right hand side he swept another great cross into the far poost mle leapt headed it against the left post from close range it ricocheted out marott looked certain to score but Pereira made a brilliant save hurling himself at Mariot and making the block unluckily for him it felt to iant Lee who tapped it into the net and quite deservedly because Lee had run the game in the first half hour it was magnificent all around performance Lee effervescent working so hard like he does but also with a lot of lovely touches so often reading players just getting a bit too tight on him and he would just turn them beautifully just making it look simple absolutely terrific performance by Lee Ren got an opportunity pretty much straight afterwards uh free Ki given away about about 35 yards out Wing put a good ball into the ground and from around the penalty spot bendon got up well with headed it it looped over aono hit the top of the bar and that was it for the half second half Rex mm came out strongly within four minutes of the restart had a three-goal lead maybe ring just overdoing it a touch trying to play it out from defense eh banan with Elliot on the right hand side uh lost it it was uh challenged by Leon aliester could have been given us a foul quite frankly but I think the referee was being pretty consistent with physical contacts Leaf had it inside to Cannon who had lots of space he carried it to within about 20 25 yards of goal clearly set himself with a shot and nailed it right in the bottom left corner keeper diving full stretch had no chance to reach it and it was 3-0 and it was game over um I do want to come back to reading for a couple of points though I really liked reading I thought they set themselves up well they looked well coached and in Midfield I thought they did a nice job they had a lot of possession they put pressure on rexon but rexon were very good I think I feel in that mid block and we were last season as well when we were put under pressure or we had a lead we were very comfortable to drop into the mid block and just say to teams pass around in front of us um we really look very organized and reading just couldn't quite find their way through I should say about Elliot as well you know I sound like I'm complaining about him because he see everything seems to have gone wrong for reading I seem to have mentioned his name I think he's a good player from what I've seen of him I've seen him in two games now admittedly at all but he looks good to me and he was trying to drive play forwards well so I had a lot of sympathy for him I think he's like a lot of the writing players got a bit of a future ahead of him but he's given the opportunity and looks like sash will give him the opportunity and the other thing about reading though is that the referees willingness to allow physical contact I think favored Rex some a bit like I say people like Dobson and McLean rattling in on tackles and the ref allowing if there's a bit of physical contact as well very much in Rex's favor uh Sam Smith got himself booked for descent because they weren't getting free kicks I've got to say I think he probably well I called it before it happened so obviously I'm going to say I think he probably deserved it um he tried to play for a few Fe kicks in the first half and the ref the ref wasn't having it and I think the ref was right in it on those occasions to be honest and then another player went down a reading player I don't think it was foul and Smith was having the right pop at the ref and got himself booked um but yeah reading were unhappy as well feeling there were penalties that could have been given I've not mentioned any of them in these because to be honest I really don't think that they were worthy shouts ref waved them away like I said that I was sitting next to a reading reporter who on a when asked about the penalty shouts just said none of them penalties and I think that's correct um the get a lot of grief from The Ring fans mind but I don't think he was a sign significant contributor except you could have given a foul for that challenge by Lee on Elliot for the third goal I accept that I think that's maybe reading a little unfortunate with that anyway rexon carried on playing well Lee with a free kick left of center which he skimmed on taras and Pereira had to Die full R length so to turn it around the post then oh another attempt at G the season 25 minutes left marott does really well to hold the ball up in Midfield something he does exceptionally well feeds it back to Dobson on the right Dobson plays a terrific early ball down the flank to send Cannon away on one of those terrific runs of his it's bouncing awkwardly for Canon and McLean is unmarked driving into the box at the Far poost So Canon decides that his best option is to just try to Loop it in often those crosses don't go right but Canon got it perfectly and well mle you could just see him charging and he's all alone he's got he's got pretty much the whole panalty area who himself certainly his half of the penalty area he's got plenty of time to take a touch but he knows it's three and he knows that if what he's planning is going to come off he's going to be a legend and so he tries to hit a volley on the run as Cannon's ball comes to him and he does get fabulous contact on it as can be seen by the way the ball swerves after it's gone over the bar but yeah spoiler alert goes over the bar it was Sensational it was about a yard over it was close yeah if it was N N I think you'd be wondering why he didn't just bring it down and knock it home but that was it was a thrilling moment a minute later oie Palmer's acent stint up front brought to an end so Steven Fletcher can have a run out and he would gets heavily involved a couple of minutes later a lengthy spell of pressure by rexam it start with a brilliant combination between Lee and McLean U Lee back heals it for McLean he pulls it back inside for Lee drives into the box can't get his shot off quite from six yards out because bindon covers him really well but L reading then are block trapped in their box give it back to and when the ball's played forwards McLean comes in Miss fabulous play terrific tackle and then manages just to have enough time to get up from the tackle and ping a terrific switch a high Pace to Barnet Barnet runs at his man gets past him dinks across to the far post Fletcher is there a couple yards out but beyond the far post and it's probably not a good percentage option to go for goal he drops it into the goal mouth and bendon just manages to be Marriot to his and head it off the line great pressure from rexam a minute later a chance for reading wing with a free kick left of center which he struck well and got over the wall nicely but it dropped just wide of the Left Post but reading as reom started to go into a game management mode would make another opportunity from a set piece Wing sweeping it in substitute tumor heading it on into the goal mouth Dorset lunged and look certain to score but a Conor is off his line so quickly with a brilliant Brave block with his hands of dorset's powerful shot from close range he then inadvertently crashed into dorsis who uh needed treatment and eventually had to go off um but it was a fine piece of play by a cono to protect his clean sheet 7 V's minute a moment all the rexon fans are waiting for because I neglected to mention at the start that surprisingly Paul Mullen was on the bench and every time he came out to war up while he could imagine what the noise was like he came on for Marius in the 74th minute again to terrific a claim he wasn't able to really influence the game much but didn't really matter because we got plenty minutes into his legs for future battles couple more substitutions as well Ren came on for Barnet on the right James Jones made his first League appearance of the season on for Cannon who suffered unfortunate injury it looks like from the way his hand was trapped he was carrying an injury into the match with a finger injury and then Risha on as a substitute I think eager a ruffle some feathers just pushed him over really um and Canon and sticking out his hands must have damaged those damaged fingers oh he looked in a lot of pain don't know if they were dislocated and being put back in but oh he looks in so much pain kneeling on the side the pitch looking away from his hand as it was trees and Jones James Jones had to replace him and reom continues to look comfortable couple of breakaway options didn't quite fall our way although wow 89th minute really could have been 3-1 and cost to conquor that clean cheese it was a funny error OK Conor and McLean colliding with each other when they were both underneath a diagonal ball it should have just been dealt with it wasn't and as result tumer again came round the back hand right hand side pulled it back into the box uh striker in the middle dummied it nicely and Risha hits it really cleanly from about 15 yards towards the top left corner a cono lunge could get there they hit the bottom of the bar drop down and bounc back out there wasn't much of an appeal from reading that for it being over the line um which surprises me at the time I didn't think it going over as well watching back the replays now fortunately the frame rate's not as good as it was last season um but certain certainly the footage I've got um and so I can't really isolate it but it looks to me like it may well G over the line actually um which I didn't think at the time but it looks suspicious but anyway I think been very harsh in a Conor's defense if they hadn't uh kept a clean sheet because they deserved one let's have a look at the individual performances of cono really just a one save he had to make but it was a very very good one and he was confident in the air coming and claiming stuff as always uh he did fumble wall in corner but he'd come a long way Beyond his far post to try and deal with it and he got enough on it with his hands that it was at least pushed out towards the corner flag so that rexon had plenty of time to reset that wasn't a m major deal again the back three Unit were very very good or Connell handled Smith really comfortably Smith's a good Striker and a physical Striker uh Connell wasn't at all bothered by that uh kth two games in a row my observation on kth is he's been quite unobtrusive but completely in control nothing's happened on his sort of the right hand side of our defensive area if you will because it's just all under control uh he linked up nicely a couple times with attacks as well on the left hand side I thought Conor was outstanding I thought he really really looked good some his use of the ball was was excellent he set high up the pitch defensively rock solid as well great performance by o Conor I thought the wing backs Barnet well Barnet magnificent just destroyed Dorset he really destroyed him um it sounds like some sort of uh dystopian sci-fi plot B it destroys uh dors uh but no it wasn't uh he was just terrific nonstop running at him all the time got so many good quality Crossing into fantastic areas I mean it was brilliant brilliant performance him and revens slugging it out for a place on the team by each of them putting in outstanding performances well that's quite fun at the moment and un McLean was again those usual qualities very energetic his strength and aggression were very good he defended well I thought uh until that collision with OK Conor but yeah again McLean get what you pay for don't you with him uh another strong strong performance Central Midfield Dobson again very high quality some crunching tackles some fine passes he's got such awareness there's a shock in the second half when he spotted a pass and and L to have nailed it but had too much on it went out for a throw like what Dobson spotted a difficult pass and didn't quite make it it just feels out of character what a player he is you love him he's magnificent I have the side of him I am sounding very good today but then everyone played well uh either side of him on the right Cannon again just effervescent and dangerous with his runs forwards he's really good at finding those spaces and driving into them and then having end products and Elliot Lee was a man of the match for me although Barnet ran him a close second and there were lots of other Great Performances but Lee was just all round fantastic he was just everywhere all the time and his attacking quality his creative quality was there brilliant performance by him up front Palmer and Marius again combined superbly they are such a nightmare for Defenders they won't give him a minute piece Palmer was really sprinting hard and and outpacing players it was really nice see him looking so mobile and aggressive um he took his goal beautifully uh you a player like him wouldn't he be delighted to have Barnet thinking those balls in for him to attack and then marot just buzzes around all the time he's so sharp he's quick great combination the subs Fletcher did well when he came on as well had an influence was causing issues Mullen uh yeah looked Lively looked lacking Max sharpness I mean who how could he not be but it was great to see him get that time on the pitch even didn't have that much time to to make an impression or Jones really but yeah fantastic all round performance uh very very enjoyable and rexon fourth now and looking very good let's hope we can maintain that form it's a tough game at peterb on Saturday but yeah tough games that's what we're here to Rish isn't it we enjoy the challenge bring it on with a final score of reom 3 ring n I'm Mark griffus from reom AFC